- If this is your first time, watch Getting started first. It takes you from installing the application to building a package, with narrated videos
- The command line, and the exact contents of the files the application writes, are covered in How to use it
The screenshots were taken on a Mac with the interface set to English. On Windows, only the window frame looks different.
1. The window
The window has two halves.
- Left — what to create, which folders to use, and so on. Fill it in from top to bottom
- Right — once you press Run, what the application is doing, and then the result
The top bar
- The number next to the name at the left, such as v0.1.8, is the version. Please include it when you get in touch
- The menu showing English switches the interface language. The choice is remembered. Switching clears anything you have entered, so choose the language before you start
- The ⓘ at the right opens a short guide, the licences and contact details (section 7)
2. Building a submission package (SIP)
A SIP (Submission Information Package) gathers the files you received exactly as they are, together with a record of when, what and how many were received.
What to create
Choose one of three. A line underneath says what the chosen one does.
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| Create a SIP | Builds a submission package from a folder (or ZIP) of source material |
| Create an AIP | Builds a preservation package from an existing SIP (section 4) |
| From source material through to an AIP | Does both, one after the other (section 6) |
Usually you choose Create a SIP, check what is in it, and only then go on to the AIP.
When Run cannot be pressed
Run stays grey until everything it needs has been given. The line underneath says what is still missing. In this picture, the source folder, the destination and the title are missing.
Input and destination
- Under Input, press Choose a folder and choose the folder of files you received. If they arrived as a ZIP file, use Choose a ZIP instead
- Under Destination, press Choose a folder and choose where the package should be written
The chosen location appears under each button.
Your original files are never changed. The application only reads the input folder. The package is written, as new files, into the destination.
If you choose a destination inside the source folder, a red warning appears and Run cannot be pressed. This keeps anything from being written into the originals. Choose another place.
Description of the materials
Enter information about the material. It is kept in the package as the accession record.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Title (required) | A name for the body of material. This is the only field you must fill in |
| Identifier | A name that tells this accession apart (for example 2026-transfer-01). It becomes the package’s folder name |
| Dates | The period the material covers (for example 2024–2025) |
| Scope and content | What the material is, and what it covers |
| Archivist | Who did the work. It is recorded in the AIP’s preservation events as the person responsible |
Archivist and Previous accession record below it appear when you scroll down the left half. The previous accession record is only for matching against an earlier accession; you can normally leave it empty.
Options
Options starts closed. Press it to open it. Even while it is closed, the line under the heading shows what is currently switched on (“Defaults” if nothing is).
| Option | What changes |
|---|---|
| Package in BagIt format | Packs the SIP in BagIt, a layout commonly used for handing files over |
| Replace characters that cannot be used in file names | Fixes characters that other computers struggle with, and names that are too long. The original names are kept on record |
| Check for personal information (PII) | Looks for things like e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Anything found is listed in the result |
| Run a virus scan | Checks the files for viruses. It needs the virus definitions (next section) |
| Put the result in a single ZIP (no compression) | Puts the finished package into a single ZIP file, which is handy for handing it over |
Virus definitions
Ticking Run a virus scan shows the Virus definitions section. This is the data used to recognise viruses; it is a few hundred MB.
- If it says the definitions have been downloaded, you can go ahead. The date is when they were last updated
- The first time, or if they have not been updated for a while, press Download / update definitions. This needs an internet connection
If you run without the definitions, the virus scan is recorded as “skipped” — never as “no problems”.
Run it, and read the result
Press Run. The Progress box on the right shows what is being done. When it finishes, Created the SIP appears, followed by:
- Where the package is. Look inside shows what is in it (next section). Show in folder opens the folder in Finder (File Explorer on Windows)
- Other files that were made, such as the description spreadsheet and the report. Open opens them in your usual application
- Points to check by eye (the yellow box): files a person should look at. In this picture the personal information scan has found something that looks like a phone number. The note at the bottom of the box says what to check
- The Build an AIP from this SIP button (section 4)
When there is nothing to check, a green line says “There is nothing that needs checking by eye.”
Four kinds of thing can appear among the points to check:
- files in which a virus was detected
- files that may contain personal information
- files whose format could not be identified
- files whose extension (such as
.pdf) does not match what they actually contain
The application never deletes or fixes any of these by itself. What to do with them is a decision for a person.
3. Looking inside the SIP
Look inside replaces the window with a view of the package. Five tabs run along the top. Close at the top right takes you back.
Overview
A summary of what is in the package: the title, identifier, when it was made, how many files and how large, and a breakdown by file format (the ring chart). Open the folder at the bottom opens the package folder.
Preservation events (empty for a SIP)
For a SIP, this tab says “No preservation events were recorded”. That is expected. Preservation events are written when the AIP is built (section 5). The Workflow tab shows the same message.
Items
One line per item you deposited, with its format (for example Plain Text File), size, virus scan result and so on. The record files written by the application (submission documentation) are not listed here; see Package contents. The button at the end of each line opens the folder the file is in.
The originals have not been changed. What is listed here are the copies inside the package.
Package contents
Everything in the package folder, record files included, shown as a tree. Choose a file on the left to see its contents on the right. Use it to look at the record files themselves (METS, CSV and so on).
- CSV files are shown as a table. Press “View as text” to see the raw text
- Images are shown reduced in size. TIFF works too; for a multi-page TIFF only the first page is shown
- XML is shown with colour highlighting
- PDFs, videos and the like cannot be opened here. Press “Show in folder” and open them in another app
4. Building a preservation package (AIP)
An AIP (Archival Information Package) is the SIP prepared for long-term preservation. For example, images also get a copy in a format suited to long-term keeping (TIFF).
Straight after building the SIP
Press Build an AIP from this SIP under the SIP’s result. What to create switches to Create an AIP, and Input is set to the SIP you just made.
To build the AIP on another day, choose Create an AIP yourself and use Choose the SIP folder under Input. If you choose a folder that is not a SIP (such as the source folder), a red note tells you so.
The description fields are not shown when creating an AIP; what you entered for the SIP is carried over.
Destination and options
Choose a Destination. It can be the same place as the SIP, or somewhere else.
Two options apply to an AIP:
| Option | What changes |
|---|---|
| Also make copies in preservation formats (AIP) | Adds TIFF copies of images and PDF copies of PostScript/EPS. Ticked from the start |
| Put the result in a single ZIP (no compression) | Puts the finished package into a single ZIP file |
The originals go into the AIP as well. Normalization only adds copies.
Run it, and read the result
Press Run, and Created the AIP appears. The numbers in brackets are how many original files there are, and how many preservation copies the conversion made.
While building the AIP, the application also checks that the SIP’s files have not changed since they were received.
5. Looking inside the AIP, and the Workflow tab
Look inside shows the same five tabs as for a SIP. For an AIP, the Preservation events and Workflow tabs have content.
Overview
As for the SIP, plus the number of files that were normalized.
Viewing the records from ingest (SIP)
Press View the records from ingest (SIP) under the AIP’s overview to switch to the view you saw when the SIP was made: the SIP’s overview, its preservation events (file name changes, format identification, virus scan and so on), and its list of items.
This view is rebuilt from the submission documents stored inside the AIP. It does not use the original SIP folder, so it still works after the SIP has been moved or deleted. It is read-only; nothing can be rebuilt from here. Press Back to the AIP in the band at the top to return.
Preservation events
Every step taken while building the AIP, one per line: when, what, with which tool, and with what outcome. These records are saved inside the package, in PREMIS, the international standard for preservation records.
Workflow
The same preservation events, grouped by stage and drawn as a flow, left to right in the order they happen:
Ingestion → Virus scan → Format identification → Normalization → Validation → Checksum calculation → Fixity check
The mark on each stage means:
- Green tick — there are records, and no problems
- Orange warning — some files had a problem. Press the stage to see which
- Grey bar and “No records” — nothing was recorded for this stage. Stages that did not run are shown this way rather than left out (for example, if you did not run a virus scan, that stage says “No records”)
Press a stage to see its details underneath: what the stage checks, how many records there are, how many files they cover, the outcome, and the tools used.
After pressing Virus scan. All four files passed.
After pressing Normalization. Only the two images have a normalization rule, so two files are covered.
After pressing Fixity check. This records that the SIP’s files have not changed since they were received.
Checksum calculation always says “No records”. That is expected. Checksums (the numbers used to tell whether a file has changed) are stored with each file’s own information, and are not written as a separate preservation event.
Items
For an AIP, each item is shown with the copy made from it, in the “Preservation copy” column. Items that were normalized, such as images, show the copy’s format and file name. Items that were not show “Not converted (kept as received)”.
6. From source material to an AIP in one go
Choosing From source material through to an AIP builds the SIP and then carries straight on to the AIP. The input is the source folder, and you enter the description of the materials as for a SIP. The options for both the SIP and the AIP are listed.
Because there is no chance to check the SIP in between, we recommend creating the SIP and the AIP separately in normal use. This choice is for when you receive similar material repeatedly and already know what to check.
7. How to use, licences and contact
The ⓘ at the top right opens this view, with three tabs:
- How to use — a summary of the steps in the window
- About this app — what the application is, who made it, contact details, and the privacy policy
- Licenses — the licences of this application and of the tools it includes
Close takes you back.
If you are stuck
Common questions, and information for IT staff deciding whether to allow the application, are in Getting started.
If you have a question, please write to nakamura.satoru@mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp. It helps to include the version number (top left of the window) and whether you use Windows or a Mac.